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Thursday, April 22, 2010

faq u?

So I'm working on my author website, which consists of agonizing over every word and obsessively checking out the links of real writers, agents, and editors on Twitter for inspiration. The biggest hindrances so far are that, a) I'm not published yet, and b) I want to walk the fine line between charmingly eccentric and cuckoo-bird while exhibiting my innate professionalism.

The result? A pretty bland website.

But I read today that I need a FAQ section, or Frequently Asked Questions. And no one has yet asked me a question, so I don't even have a Once Asked Question section.

Does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask me? Or can you tell me the websites of authors/books you admire? Or what you think would be interesting in the FAQ section of someone about whom you wanted to get all nosy-like, assuming it ain't me?

I checked out the website of YA author Scott Westerfeld, utterly rad writer of the Uglies series, and his FAQ has nearly 5000 comments. I'd be pretty happy with 5. What can I say? I like to dream small, then act really surprised later when things go well.

12 comments:

When did you first think about being a writer?What was your inspiration for Scritch?What made you decide to write for middleschoolers?Why do you write?How long have you been writing?I know you are an artist...are you going to do any illustrations in your books?When you write a book, do you have the plot and ending all thought out, or do you make it all up as you go?

Do you have any illustrations of your characters? Is Scritch going to be a series?If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be?Which authors/books inspire you?What is your favorite book?

Where do you get your ideas? How does your brain work? Do you instantly memorize word meanings and never have to look them up again? Did you always like reading? When you were a kid and you had to read for school, did you always do the reading? If so, did you enjoy those books? Do you have lucid dreams? Do you always remember your dreams when you wake up, or are there days where you don't remember until something triggers it? What's your best time of day to write? Do you make an outline? Is it difficult to write dialog? How many books are you writing right now? How many do you have waiting in the wings? What's your favorite color (an interesting question for a synaesthete, not just a nod to Monty Python)?

Okay imagine I copied and posted this same thing 4 more times. That counts as frequent, right?

Usually FAQ are less frequently asked and more like fantasy interview questions. If you were going to be interviewed what questions would you like to be asked, what answers could you knock out of the park?

However if you are in a question answering mood...perhaps your creative mind can come up with an answer for the question my seven year old asked me recently: Who runs faster mummies or zombies?

Hi! I don't even remember how I found your blog but I'm happy I did. I love your writing style! I'd like to know how you balance writing with mothering. Also, what was your inspiration for Scritch? Who are your favorite authors? What did you read when you were growing up?